Circular Wallonia: what concrete results?

With Circular Wallonia, Wallonia adopted, at the beginning of 2021, a strategy for deploying the circular economy, mobilizing over €220 million by 2024. The disruptions in supply chains and the surge in energy costs highlight the importance of relocating certain sectors and rethinking the use of various materials. After more than a year of implementation, let us review the first tangible results of this strategy, the ongoing actions, and the opportunities ahead for Walloon companies. Mélanie Rensonnet, Coordination Unit of the Circular Economy Deployment Strategy, SPW Economy

Through Circular Wallonia, the goal for Walloon public services and their partners is to better promote the opportunities of the circular economy and support businesses in this transition. Indeed, the first barometer of the circular maturity of Walloon companies, conducted by the Walloon administration in the second half of 2021 among 2,500 businesses (microenterprises, SMEs, and large companies), shows the extent of the work to be done: 80% of businesses either do not know or do not understand the concept of a circular economy well (60% are entirely unfamiliar, while 18% have a vague understanding), and only about 20% understand the concept well.

Circular Wallonia aims to facilitate the circular transition of businesses by improving visibility and strengthening support mechanisms in terms of guidance, financing, and assistance. Given current events (dependency on imports, political instability, price volatility, delivery delays, etc.), ensuring a circular transition within businesses is becoming increasingly urgent to secure sustainable supply chains and enhance the competitiveness of activities. Despite significant progress toward developing a more circular Walloon economy, substantial efforts are still needed to encourage economic actors to embrace this path.

First Tangible Results

A series of ambitious circular projects has already been launched with various forms of support. Notable examples include:

• Collaborative projects in circular innovation The Walloon government has approved 18 projects proposed by competitiveness clusters, amounting to €113 million, focused on a decarbonized and circular economy. Two key programs stand out:

  • The

    Remind Program

    (

    Reverse Mineral Industry

    ), which aims to accelerate the circularity of construction materials in Wallonia. For example, projects include developing circular practices for precast concrete and designing a lime kiln capable of capturing and concentrating CO₂.

  • The

    Reverse Metallurgy Program

    , targeting the circularity of metals essential for the energy transition, supporting necessary production increases, and ensuring the sustainable management of end-of-life battery-equipped devices.

• The first pilot edition of the Go Circular project call, which supports new circular economy initiatives, shifts in business models, or the implementation of circular purchasing practices. Companies receive funding ranging from €20,000 to €80,000 depending on the project category. In 2021, 17 companies were selected for projects such as functional economy initiatives for reusable diapers in daycare centers, producing healthy gourmet biscuits from fruit by-products, and creating a microfactory for innovative textile techniques.

• Strengthening circular economy financing via the NEXT (SRIW) initiative. A 2019 project call from this initiative supported six recycling unit projects, laying the foundation for a genuine industrial sector. For example:

  • The Canadian group

    Lavergne

    will recycle technical polymers from electronic and electrical waste.

  • In Luxembourg,

    LuxPet

    , a subsidiary of the American

    PlastiPak

    , transforms PET plastic waste into preforms for bottles and containers. These projects emphasize creating local value chains and cross-border synergies.

Ongoing Actions

A wide range of actions is currently underway, focusing on the following themes:

• Developing and structuring six priority value chains, a collaborative effort involving sectoral federations, research centers, universities, and businesses. These chains represent significant potential for local value creation, Walloon competitiveness, and job creation in the following sectors:

  • Construction and buildings (coordinated by GreenWin)

  • Plastics (coordinated by GreenWin)

  • Metallurgy and batteries (coordinated by MecaTech)

  • Water (coordinated by SPGE and the H2O Cluster)

  • Textiles (coordinated by Centexbel)

  • Food industries and systems (coordinated by Wagralim)

• Specific awareness, guidance, and training initiatives for actors in these sectors, focusing on circularity, recyclability, and product/service life cycles.

• Financial support for businesses, including Easy Green tools from SOWALFIN and free consultations with circular economy experts.

• The Digital 4 Circular Wallonia program, leveraging digital technologies to accelerate circular economy deployment.

• Exemplary public procurement initiatives, stimulating demand for circular products and services, with specific support for SMEs through the Green Deal Circular Procurement, involving 170 public and private partners.

Opportunities Ahead

Upcoming flagship actions include:

• Launching a new Go Circular project call in December 2022 for four categories: Starter, Diversification, Transition, and Scale-up.

• Providing Circular Design training programs to help businesses integrate circularity from the design phase.

• Implementing industrial symbiosis initiatives in economic activity parks, encouraging resource sharing and mutualized equipment or logistics to reduce costs and reliance on external supplies.

• Developing an intelligent mapping system for resources and needs in the metallurgy/battery value chain, the first step toward creating a Critical Metals Observatory in Wallonia.

• Hosting the Circular Wallonia Days from November 16–18, 2022, focused on "Materials and Metals in a Cross-Border Economy."

Join Wallonia’s Circular Momentum!

As demonstrated, the Walloon Government is committing substantial resources to deploy the circular economy. This strategy supports economic recovery and builds a resilient economy, reducing resource dependency. Key stakeholders and pioneers, including businesses, play a vital role in implementing and amplifying Circular Wallonia’s objectives. Wallonia’s ambitious goals include a 25% reduction in direct material demand and domestic material consumption by 2030 and a 20% increase in jobs contributing to the circular economy by 2025.